A fun and creative way to explore big emotions is through music. Matching the intensity and mood of feelings to different types of music can help children express themselves. You can dance together, march, or conduct!

Use everyday objects to make your own musical instruments, or simply listen and talk about what the music makes you think or feel.

Here are a few listening suggestions to get you started. Not all of the suggestions will suit every age, so choose the ones you think will work best.

Joy

• The Planets: Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity - Gustav Holst. An uplifting piece full of joy and wonder!

• The Laughing Policeman - Charles Penrose. The laughter is infectious! Who can keep a straight face the longest?

• Baby Elephant Walk - Henry Mancini. Act like a jolly little elephant, swing your arms and march to the beat.

• The Entertainer - Scott Joplin. Guaranteed to bring a smile to any face.

Surprise

• Surprise Symphony - Franz Joseph Haden. Turn up the volume, play your imaginary musical instruments, and you may get a surprise!

• Orpheus in the Underworld - Jacques Offenbach. Join in the exciting bits with cymbals, pots, and pans!

• 1812 Overture Finale - Tchaikovsky. Boom! Loud surprises ahead! Can you create a surprising outdoor splat painting along with the music?

Anticipation

• Carnival of the Animals: The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods - Camille Saint-Saëns. Be very still and quiet. Each time you hear the cuckoo’s call - stand up! Listen carefully right to the end - how many can you hear?
• The Plants: Mars, the Bringer of War - Gustav Holst. How does the music create anticipation? How do you feel as you wait for the music to build up? Are you impatient or nervous, or do you enjoy the wait?

Sadness

• When She Loved Me - Sarah McLaughlin (Toy Story 2). Good for quiet moments.

• Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins. A thoughtful choice.

• Remember Me - Anthony Gonzalez & Ana Ofelia Murguía (Pixar’s Coco). A sweet song about family and memories.

• Bright Eyes - Art Garfunkel (Watership Down). Young people sometimes like to explore their melancholic side.

• The Bare Necessities - Phil Harris & Bruce Reitherman (The Jungle Book). Time to cheer up again!

Anger

• Night on Bald Mountain - Modest Moussorgsky. Stormy and wild, like a dark mountain during a thunderstorm.

• Ride of the Valkyries - Richard Wagner. Grab your imaginary baton and become an angry conductor!

Fear

• La Danse Macabre - Camille Saint-Saëns. Dance along like wobbly, silly skeletons rattling your bones!

• Mephisto Waltz - Franz Liszt. A great choice for practicing your scary, creeping skills, tiptoeing around without making a sound.

• Dance of the Knights (Romeo & Juliet) - Sergei Prokofiev. March and stomp around with heavy feet like serious knights.

Trust

• Trust Fall - Pink. Listen to the chorus and talk about what it means to trust someone. Try a gentle trust fall onto a big pile of cushions.
• Trust in Me - Sterling Holloway (The Jungle Book). Move like a sneaky snake!
• Bridge over Trouble Water - Simon & Garfunkel. A thoughtful choice for older children.

Disgust

These choices are personal - everyone will feel differently. Choose music that you find particularly irritating or opt for something that sounds very jarring to your ears.

• Mysterium - Alexander Scriabin. This choice has jarring, unexpected clashes of sounds. How could you move around to match the sound?
• Piano Sonata, Opus 1 - Alan Berg. Match your facial expressions to the music and play a whole cast of roles. You could dress up to make it even more fun.